The transition to a kinder, gentler Dynastar freeride collection that began with the elimination of metal laminates in the Cham series culminates in the all-new Legend collection for 2018. The Legends of yore were among the burliest powder skis ever, but having the most inflexible plank in the off-piste isn’t the calling card it once was, and today’s Legends have gotten the message. Softer, smoother, less aggro: these are the new adjectives at Dynastar.
The cornerstone technology of the Legend models is a unique sidewall construction filched from the race department called Powerdrive. Used only in a section of the forebody where vibration amplitude peaks, Powerdrive consists of a 3-piece sidewall that both dampens shock and disconnects the core’s components from the fixed outer sidewall. This allows the separate laminates in the structure to move relative to one another, so the ski stays in better contact with a snow surface that is anything but continuous.
Powerline must have pretty good juju, for the Legend X 96 landed on top of our 2018 Finesse rankings for All-Mountain Skis, and the Legend X 106 more than held its own in the competitive Big Mountain arena. Too bad we didn’t see more women’s cards this season, for the Legend W 88, with two perforated Titanal sheets, should have been a slam-dunk in the key Women’s All-Mountain East category.
Fans of the Chams shouldn’t hold a wake quite yet. The Legend skis retain the Chams’ signature 5-point sidecut, which maximizes surface area for flotation yet retains a modest turn radius (17m @ 178cm in Legend X 96) for maneuverability in the tight spots that prevail off-trail, be they in chutes, trees or moguls the size of Mini Coopers.